6 more bigoted North Carolina magistrates quit after request to not officiate same-sex weddings was denied

At least six magistrates in North Carolina have resigned rather than be forced to officiate same-sex weddings after a federal court decision legalized same-sex unions in the state on October 10, the Charlotte Observer reported this week.
When the federal decision was handed down, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory said all state agencies would comply. State Senator Phil Berger however asked to the courts to grant protections to public officials who refuse to perform same-sex ceremonies for religious reasons. It was denied.
The six magistrates identified in media reports are John Kallam Jr. (Rockingham County), Gilbert Breedlove (Swain County), Bill Stevenson (Gaston County), Tommy Holland (Graham County), Gayle Myrick (Union County) and Jeff Powell (Jackson County). The Observer added that it's unclear how many others have similar intentions. All of the six are said to have based their decision to resign on their religious beliefs.
Holland of Graham County, who had served as a magistrate for 24 years, told The Christian Examiner he made the decision to quit after the state issued a memo stating that there would be no religious exemptions for judges who believe same-sex marriage is immoral.
'When the federal judges ruled that gay marriage was legal and North Carolina honors that, and part of a magistrate's job is to perform marriage ceremonies, I knew I couldn't honor that law,' Holland said. 'It's against my belief. It's against what the Bible says.'
While opponents of same-sex marriages say some state officials should be allowed to refuse to participate in same-sex marriages because of religious beliefs, same-sex marriage advocates say public officials should just do their job. 'State officials don’t get to pick and choose what laws they need to follow,' said Chris Brook, legal director of the ACLU of North Carolina. 'They can’t turn people away just because of who they are and who they love.'